


A strumpet's fool

by Damsel_in_shining_armour



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Case Fic, F/M, Friendship, Investigation, Lovers, Murder, Romance, Smut, phrack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:58:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6171862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damsel_in_shining_armour/pseuds/Damsel_in_shining_armour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When stern butlers fall dead face down in jam for no apparent reasons, it is the perfect time for DI Robinson and the Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher to do what they do best. Investigate and sleuth!<br/>With a mysterious (and educated) killed on the loose, they will have to resort to some of their finest deductive abilities to identify the culprit.<br/>But in the meantime, there is another sticky situation they have to deal with, in the form of a beautiful Italian lady. When Jack seems to be slipping further and further away, Phryne has to make a choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A strumpet's fool

It was a nice sunny morning, the station was quiet and his latest case had been closed even more successfully than expected. And yet Jack was in distress.  
He found that no matter how much coffee he drank, he still could not think straight. The attractive face of a dark-haired woman kept showing up in his mind and sending him spiraling down the same cyclic path of thoughts. He kept going over his last conversation with Concetta, again and again, and the only thing that kept coming to mind were the words 'what if?'   
What if he made this one crazy decision and accept to marry her? He did not resent his reputation as a serious and leveled man, but that didn't mean that he was unable to desire his moments of folly sometimes. Would it be such an insane idea, though? They had solved the case and arrested all of those who needed arresting, including Roberto Salvatore. She was safe from her intended husband, so he could not pretend he wanted to save her from a terrible marriage, not even to fool himself. But didn't she deserve better? Didn't she deserve a man of her choice, after Fabrizzi, and after almost being married off to Salvatore? Jack could be that man. He would do his best to be a model husband, they could build a family together. She would be so much warmer than Rosie, she would be a soft, safe and comfortable embrace to come home to after a day of hard work. She wouldn't push him towards promotions he didn't want, towards tiresome obligations in front of the belle society, she wouldn't ask of him more than he could give. And yet, there was someone else in his life now who kept pushing him towards the unknown. Someone who kept challenging him, kept forcing him into corners. And he loved it. It was not like with Rosie, Phryne was merely bringing out that wildness that was already in him, albeit suppressed. She had never tried to change him, not ever. Yet, he shouldn't be thinking of such things. That was dangerous territory. Phryne Fisher seemed to belong to a different world from Concetta Fabrizzi, and Jack didn't want to get those worlds confused in his head, not when he had to be clear-minded and anchored to reality. 

With a sigh he let his eyes roam on the report he had been pretending to read for a good hour. At some point he really should start focusing on his work, but no one could blame him for being somehow distracted at this point. He knew it wouldn't be a fierce and all-consuming type of love, although he didn't deny that the flame of lust could have been easily lit once he had a woman like Concetta in his arms. No, it would be a good, solid marriage, based on mutual respect and dedication. Jack was no longer twenty, he could see the advantages of such a union, and appreciate them. That's who he was, that was his ideal type of life. But then... why did he keep thinking about crazy chases, catching criminals, wild car rides, dangerously red lips and nightcaps in a parlour where the air was so charged with emotions that it was almost crackling? That was not him. These thoughts were pure folly - Jack told himself. Even if he could ever find the courage to finally take things a step further with Miss Fisher, they had no future. She had made it abundantly clear that she did not need or want any man, and she would never be tied down. Why should he put his whole life and possible happiness on hold for something he could never get? And yet, lately things had seemed to change between them... maybe there was a possibility....  And guilt instantly hit him. He was considering Concetta as his second choice, he was already paying her less respect than she deserved. Could he ever be a good husband with the shadow of Miss Fisher hanging over his marriage?  
There! He was doing it again! The report was not going to read himself! A knock on the door finally managed to drag him away from his thoughts, and from the dreadfully boring document in front of him.  
"Yes?"  
"Inspector, Sir, there has been a call. A certain Mr. Heveford, the Butler of Lady Catherine Densville, has been found dead this morning. Should I get the car ready?"  
"Yes please Collins! And let Sergeant Harrow know where we are going in case problems should arise here at the station."   
"Yes Sir, straight away Sir".   
Jack Robinson jumped to his feet and grabbed his hat and coat. It was terribly bad taste to be glad at someone's death, he reprimanded himself in his mind. Still, he could not help but feeling deep relief at the idea of having a new case to solve and to keep his mind well occupied and away from dangerous women.

♒

When they arrived at Lady Densville's residence, he almost wasn't surprised to see a red Hispano-Suiza parked in front of the beautiful building.   
"Is this your doing Collins?" he asked, voice neutral.   
"No Sir!" he replied in haste. "It is actually Miss Fisher who requested our intervention." he added, voice low.   
Jack rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. A pretty young maid, who couldn't have been older than eighteen, opened the door just enough to peek outside and looked at them with a frightened expression on her face.  
"Detective Inspector Robinson. We have been called on account of a murder. May we come in, Miss...?"  
She didn't offer a name, but opened the door just enough that they could sneak in. The two policemen shared a glance and followed the young girl into the living room.  
Four people were currently sitting on plush sofas and ample armchairs, sipping tea as if this was just another lovely morning. They turned towards them as soon as they entered the room, and the maid scurried away quickly and disappeared without introducing them.   
"Jack!" A voice called from near the window, as a slim female figure approached. "Your speed at getting here surprises me for once!" She then turned to the rest of the guests "This are inspector Robinson, and Constable Collins. Dear Catherine, trust me you couldn't have fallen in better hands in such a dreadful occasion!".   
Jack cleared his throat as she continued "Jack, may I introduce you to an old friend of mine, Lady Catherine Densville, her nephew Mr Robert Guidford, Mr Arnold Stout, and Miss Louise Stout". Jack took mental note of the names and tried to quickly assess their relationship to one another, but with no clear results apart from the two Stouts, probably related. He nodded graciously "Thank you Miss Fisher. Lady Densville, it is our understanding that your butler passed away this morning? Could you tell us what happened?"  
The blonde and tall woman sitting at the centre of the living room sighed deeply. "Of course inspector. My fiancé, Arnold" and she gestured towards the rather old gentleman sitting across from her, with a moustache which made him look remarkably like a walrus "Called for Mr Heveford this morning, there were some appointments he needed arranging. Mr Heveford never showed, and when we sent one of the maids to investigate, she found him face down in jam, didn't even manage to finish his breakfast, the poor fellow. Surely a stroke. It ran in the family apparently. " She sighed, with a tone that betrayed mild boredom. "To be completely frank, inspector, I don't see why you needed to be involved at all, but dear Phryne insisted so." The other man in question, Mr Stout, just nodded gravely, his moustache wriggling.   
"Thank you. We will quickly assess whether our intervention is needed or not. Constable Collins will take your depositions, and please do not leave the estate until we have completed the preliminary observations. Could any of your staff bring me to see the deceased?"   
"I can help with that, Jack!" intervened Miss Fisher, grabbing him at his elbow. She shot him a dazzling smile and started dragging him out of the room. 

As soon as they were in the corridor again, Jack gave her a half-amused, half-annoyed glance.   
"Miss Fisher. How come you get to be involved in my cases even before I know about their existence?" he demanded, sighing deeply.   
"Jack, jack!" She replied, with a mischievous glint in her eyes "It's because they are  _our_ cases! And you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me!"   
"I'm starting to think that you keep orchestrating all these murders just to be in my company, Miss Fisher. Careful, you could become a suspect" he said, smiling slightly.   
"Trust me Jack, I can think of better ways to spend time in your company than to look at dead people" she shot back, looking at him from beneath her lashes. He felt a tingle up his spine, and had to stop himself from straightening his tie, afraid of giving too much away.   
They entered the kitchen, surprisingly empty of staff, and immediately noticed the man lying dead in the middle of the table, face down in his breakfast plate. Nothing looked out of the ordinary: a newspaper was open in front of him, an empty cup and a teapot lay nearby and the butler looked indeed like he had just collapsed mid-breakfast.   
"What makes you think this was a murder?" Jack asked, carefully prodding the corpse, lifting the lapel of his jacket and observing his hands and neck. "It looks like the poor fellow had a heart attack. An unfortunate end, but not enough for police intervention."   
Miss Fisher smiled mysteriously "Aren't my instincts enough for you anymore?" she teased.  
Jack decided not to take the bait. "No signs of strangulation, no visible elements pointing towards a violent death, no swelling of the extremities, no evident scratches, injuries or anything of the sort." he listed, efficiently.  
Phryne was still smiling while she plunged her hand in the decollete of her dress, fishing out a small piece of paper.   
"What if I say that... there are clues that suggest a less natural passing?" She gave him the note and Jack read:  _the bright day is done, and you are for the dark._ Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "Odd choice of words. It reminds me of something..." he muttered slowly.   
"It should. And I believe you also know its context quite well."   
Jack re-read it, there was something out of place but... "This is from Anthony and Cleopatra!" he exclaimed "But it's wrong. I believe it should read  _and we are for the dark."_  
"Correct!" Phryne exclaimed, delighted. "Clearly someone felt like they could use poetic license and twist the quote a little bit."   
"And how come you are in possession of this? You should know better than tamper with the evidence, Miss Fisher."  
"Tamper? I merely secured your crime scene! I had Catherine tell her staff to stay away from the kitchen, but don't you think that whoever did this could have easily removed the note before you got here?" she smiled "He was still warm when I came downstairs. Perhaps the killer didn't have time to take it away before his body was discovered." she shrugged "Anyway, it was in his hand. And it was damp when I found it. Also, it still has traces of jam on it, and there is no jam on Mr Heveford's fingers. I believe someone had placed it under the second slice of toast, so that he would only notice it after he had eaten the first one."   
"Poison?" Jack demanded, carefully lifting the head of the butler to check the toast under it. One slice was gone, the other was untouched.   
"I'm willing to bet on it." 

♒

 

A preliminary analysis of the poor Butler's body at the morgue didn't return any helpful conclusion.   
The only option left was poison, just as expected, but they needed to wait at least until the next day before they could know for sure what had killed him.   
Collins had finished interrogating the four people in the living room, with equally unsatisfying conclusion. Yes, the Butler had been working there for almost two decades. No, they didn't know of anyone who would want to hurt him. Yes, he was a trusted member of staff. No, they had never heard or had any complaints about him. No personal information, nothing.   
Collins had pointed out that Mr Stout had seemed particularly tight-lipped, but it might have meant nothing since none of the others seemed too willing to cooperate either. Or simply they did not care enough. Jack almost felt sorry for leaving Collins to deal with them, but his own investigations with the downstairs staff had proven equally unhelpful. The fact that no one wanted to talk about this bloke, or that no one seemed particularly distressed about his death, was sending alarm bells off in his brain. He would have to resort to Miss Fisher, he thought begrudgingly, she seemed to have a way to make people talk, especially when his badge and him failed. 

Overall Jack felt quite satisfied in the evening. He had a mystery to solve, and he had managed to avoid thinking about Concetta and marriage decisions for almost a whole afternoon. He started gathering his papers, locking his drawers and getting ready for the evening. It was well past nine, but surely Miss Fisher would be still up to receive visitors, especially given that it was their first day on a new case. He found himself incredibly eager to reach her parlour and sit down with some good whisky and excellent conversation. That was the part he liked the most about their... 'friendship'. Those evenings had been growing more and more intimate recently, and their nature still proved to be a mystery for the inspector. Nevertheless, their uncertain character could only make them even more alluring. Would he and Miss Fisher dance a step closer to each other tonight, and then retreat again, as they usually did? Or would this evening bring something different?   
He was fantasizing so when a knock on the door distracted him from his thoughts once again.   
"Yes, Constable?"  
"There is a lady to see you Inspector" Collins kept his eyes on the ground, not meeting his gaze, and Jack thought he saw him blush.  
"At this hour?  
"She insisted sir." and he disappeared. Seconds later the door was opened again, and Concetta appeared in front of him in all her splendour. Jack could see what had made his constable blush so, the low-cut of her summer dress had all the potential of making  _his_ head spin as well. He briefly considered how out of character such a display was for her, and the thought that she had dressed that way to entice him made his self-esteem do a little somersault.   
"Concetta!" he smiled "I wasn't expecting you."   
"My dear Gianni. I wanted your company. There is no one left but me of the Stranos now, it is very strange. Will you come and have dinner with me?"   
Jack hesitated for a second, looking at her outstretched hand. Then, with a gracious smile, he moved across the room to take it, and carefully placed it on his arm.   
"Of course. Lead the way." he said, gesturing with his other arm towards the door.   
He looked back at Collins one step before exiting the station, and nodded his head to bid him a goodnight. "Go home Collins. Your shift ended two hours ago, there is nothing so urgent to keep you here any later."   
"Yes Sir, thank you Sir. Have a good evening." Hugh replied smiling, and looked at his boss leave with the Italian woman. What was it about the Inspector that always had him surrounded by beautiful ladies? 

♒

 

Sitting in Miss Fisher's kitchen and sipping his cocoa, Hugh was admiring his fiancée. Dot was really beautiful, he thought. Beautiful and not at all dangerous. She was brave, yes, and smart, but seemed to lack that specific quality which always made him wary around Miss Fisher, despite knowing her well by now. Or which had made him feel so embarrassed in front of that Concetta woman earlier that night at the station. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he was extremely grateful that he didn't feel that way with Dot. He smiled, and took her hand silently.   
Miss Fisher chose that moment to walk into the kitchen, smiling sweetly at them when Dot made an instinctual motion to take her hand away, and then realised she was allowed to hold hands with her fiancé and kept it there, recomposing herself.   
"Hugh dear, do you know if the Inspector was still at the station when you left?" Phryne asked, voice strangely chirpy "I merely wished to discuss the new case with him and he seems to be later than usual."   
"Oh no, Miss." Hugh replied, naively "He left with the Italian woman from the Stranos case, I think he took her out for dinner."   
Dot's hand constricted around his so hard that he yelped and looked at her, bewildered.   
"Oh." Phryne replied "I see." a pause "Well then, looks like I will keep my insightful comments for myself this time!" she smiled "Goodnight Dot, Hugh." And she disappeared back in the main house. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ok ok ok guys, I'm SO EXCITED about this! It's my first Miss Fisher's work. I am completely addicted to the show, and I've probably read 97% of all the fanfictions out there, so I thought I'd contribute to the cause.  
> This is a case fic, as you might have guessed, but the sentimental problems of our favourite couple are never too far!  
> I took some liberties with the timing of various events in the story, and decided to use the character of Concetta a bit more. She is the only one (well, apart from Rosie) whom we see interact with Jack in an intimate way, and her appearance and character arc are so brief in the tv show! I wish they'd explored that a bit further, to make us suffer properly :)  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And do let me know when the story goes on what do you think about the murder.


End file.
